| Alt Name: | Surgeon Bong |
| Genre: | Medical drama Romance Drama Comedy |
| Director: | Kim Hyung-shik |
| Starring: | Lee Yo-won Lee Beom-soo Kim Min-jun Oh Yoon-ah |
| Country: | South Korea |
| Language: | Korean |
| Num Episodes: | 18 |
| Producer: | Kim Yang Kim Young-seob Moon Jung-soo |
| Location: | Korea |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) |
| Company: | DSP Media |
| Channel: | Seoul Broadcasting System |
Surgeon Bong Dal-hee is a 2007 South Korean medical drama television series starring Lee Yo-won (in the title role),[1] Lee Beom-soo, Kim Min-jun and Oh Yoon-ah. It aired on SBS from January 17 to March 15, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 18 episodes.[2]
Bong Dal-hee (Lee Yo-won) approaches her life and work with a simple-minded gungho sincerity. She's had frail health since she was a little girl, and after she undergoes heart surgery, Dal-hee decides to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. She graduates from a little-known medical school in her hometown, the remote island of Ulleungdo, and against all odds, gets accepted into the prestigious Hankook University Hospital residency program in Seoul. Dal-hee is determined to become a cardiothoracic surgeon, all the more so because of her own heart condition. Her old-fashioned name, provincial upbringing and lack of competitiveness mark her as different among the first year residents. She immediately gets on the bad side of Ahn Joong-geun (Lee Beom-soo), a brilliant but extremely strict cardiothoracic surgeon who often gets angry at the mistake-prone Dal-hee. Adding to the negative impression is Dal-hee's friendship with recently divorced general surgeon Lee Geon-wook (Kim Min-jun), who was Joong-geun's rival since their intern years. Geon-wook is attracted to Dal-hee, but he still has lingering feelings for his ex-wife, pediatrician Jo Moon-kyung (Oh Yoon-ah). Geon-wook and Moon-kyung split up after he learned that their six-year-old son was fathered by another man before they married, leaving him feeling betrayed and angry. Meanwhile, as they continue to work together, Joong-geun and Dal-hee grow closer. Called a "troublemaker" by her colleagues but loved by her patients for her compassionate personality, Dal-hee must learn to deal with professional setbacks, tensions on the job, hospital politics, patient deaths, romantic confusion and recurring ill health, on her way to becoming a full-fledged surgeon.[3]
Surgeon Bong Dal-hee was a hit; it recorded average ratings of 22.4% and a peak of 29.3%, and was number one in its timeslot for most of its run (beating the competition Dal-ja's Spring on KBS2 and Prince Hours on MBC). The series also received several acting, directing and popularity awards.
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (TV) | Lee Beom-soo | |
| Best New Director (TV) | Kim Hyung-shik | |||
| Most Popular Actor (TV) | Lee Beom-soo | |||
| SBS Drama Awards[4] | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Lee Beom-soo | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | Lee Yo-won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries | Kim In-kwon | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries | Choi Yeo-jin | |||
| Best Young Actor | Joo Min-soo | |||
| PD Award | Lee Beom-soo | |||
| Netizen Popularity Award | Lee Yo-won | |||
| Best Couple Award | Lee Yo-won and Lee Beom-soo | |||
| Top 10 Stars | Lee Beom-soo | |||
| Lee Yo-won | ||||
| New Star Award | Song Jong-ho | |||
| Choi Yeo-jin |